It has been a long day, or more accurately a long night. Davie and Chanel came round for a snack lunch yesterday before we all took a taxi to the airport and flew to Heathrow. It was just as well that we had allocated four hours before our next flight because it took two hours to retrieve our luggage and travel from Terminal 5 to Terminal 2 by train. When we boarded our flight to Addis Ababa it was very busy with people milling about the aisles. The lady who was sitting to my left was what my Dad used to call “well built” and encroached on my space but she was so pleasant that I didn’t mind. She even told the man in front of me not to recline his seat while I was eating! I was surprised to see her eating the dry creamer straight from the packet though! I don’t know how much sleep I got but it didn’t feel like a lot and we were all pretty tired when we arrived in Addis Ababa.
Ally and Cat arrived and met us in the Departures Lounge; in their two days in Ethiopia they have had some adventures already, including sightseeing, retrieving lost luggage, and having to hand over their binoculars to security. This last was because of the current military situation in Ethiopia; it is deemed a threat to bring binoculars into the country!
We caught a mid morning flight to Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania, which was pleasant and uneventful, it was less than two hours. However we were delayed on arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport. James’ visa never came through so he had to stand in a long and slow moving queue to get one before following the rest of us through security. And David’s case was missing; he has a luggage tag in the case which showed us that the case is still un Addis Ababa airport. So he had to fill out a form and hopefully the airline will send the case after us.
Our driver was waiting for us and we set off on the couple of hours drive to Arusha, where we would be spending our first night of the holiday. Well, our first proper night, in a bed rather than an aeroplane seat! Our driver, Alex, took us for an impromptu tour around the centre of Arusha, a bustling city with a market, lots of shops, and street stalls. It is allegedly the centre of Africa, half way between Cairo and the Cape of Good Hope, and has a little clock tower to prove it.
There were people with sewing machines repairing clothes in the pavement, there were people riding incredibly overladen bicycles, a woman carrying cassava in a basket on her head, children on their way home from school. On the outskirts of town we arrived at Katambunga House, and went for a swim in the pool before dinner. As well as being very pretty, the pool area has an incredible view of Mount Meru, Tanzania’s second tallest mountain, in the distance.
Jamie and Kerry arrived from the airport at about 9.30 pm and of course got a huge welcome from the rest of us. The team of eight adventurers are now assembled and ready to go on Safari!
The young folk gave us a big surprise after dinner. Cat had organised and ordered eight t shirts, printed with a photo of James and me on the front to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary. On the back is the itinerary of our holiday in the style of a band’s tour t shirt. It is absolutely perfect and so thoughtful. We had drinks in the bar before bedtime and now I’m lying in bed exhausted but happy with strange African bird and insect noises outside.
Ally and Cat arrived and met us in the Departures Lounge; in their two days in Ethiopia they have had some adventures already, including sightseeing, retrieving lost luggage, and having to hand over their binoculars to security. This last was because of the current military situation in Ethiopia; it is deemed a threat to bring binoculars into the country!
We caught a mid morning flight to Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania, which was pleasant and uneventful, it was less than two hours. However we were delayed on arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport. James’ visa never came through so he had to stand in a long and slow moving queue to get one before following the rest of us through security. And David’s case was missing; he has a luggage tag in the case which showed us that the case is still un Addis Ababa airport. So he had to fill out a form and hopefully the airline will send the case after us.
Our driver was waiting for us and we set off on the couple of hours drive to Arusha, where we would be spending our first night of the holiday. Well, our first proper night, in a bed rather than an aeroplane seat! Our driver, Alex, took us for an impromptu tour around the centre of Arusha, a bustling city with a market, lots of shops, and street stalls. It is allegedly the centre of Africa, half way between Cairo and the Cape of Good Hope, and has a little clock tower to prove it.
There were people with sewing machines repairing clothes in the pavement, there were people riding incredibly overladen bicycles, a woman carrying cassava in a basket on her head, children on their way home from school. On the outskirts of town we arrived at Katambunga House, and went for a swim in the pool before dinner. As well as being very pretty, the pool area has an incredible view of Mount Meru, Tanzania’s second tallest mountain, in the distance.
Jamie and Kerry arrived from the airport at about 9.30 pm and of course got a huge welcome from the rest of us. The team of eight adventurers are now assembled and ready to go on Safari!
The young folk gave us a big surprise after dinner. Cat had organised and ordered eight t shirts, printed with a photo of James and me on the front to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary. On the back is the itinerary of our holiday in the style of a band’s tour t shirt. It is absolutely perfect and so thoughtful. We had drinks in the bar before bedtime and now I’m lying in bed exhausted but happy with strange African bird and insect noises outside.
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